Ecological Potential of Plants

Abstract

Elimination of contaminants from the environment by microorganisms of different taxonomic groups is a well established, genetically determined property, which has already been widely discussed. Until recently, plants, still occupying above 40 % of the world land, were considered as organisms just accumulating contaminants but having no potential to transform them into harmful compounds. Natural contaminations such as the emission of poisonous gases during a volcanic eruption and earthquakes, swamp poisoned evaporations, synthesis of toxic compounds by lower (microorganisms) and higher plants, etc., in comparison with the human contribution in the environmental contamination is much less impressive. As a result of urbanization, the unpredictable growth of industry and transport, production of chemicals for agriculture, military activities (explosives), etc., the concentration of anthropogenic toxicants in nature exceeds all the permissible standards. Analysis of experimental data of last two decades revealed the high ecological potential of plants. It has been exposed deep degradation processes proceeding in higher plants, in the majority of cases leading to the mineralization of contaminants. As a result, the enzymes carrying out oxidation and conjugation processes have been revealed and characterised; formation of anthropogenic contaminants conjugates with endogenous compounds and enzymes participating in this process has been shown. Although, still there are in plants some unlearned steps closely related to the contaminants multistage degradation process, authors are making an attempts for the evaluation of different aspects of plants ecological potential from the modern understanding, revealing the criterion for the evaluation of deviations under the action of contaminants in ultra structural architectonics of plant cells.